I attended NYU in the late 1980s, studying arts administration, but after three years, I didn't complete the degree.

Working in art isn't the most lucrative, and as I had to focus my resources on other priorities like my family, the debt caught up. Now, I still owe about $20,000.

Given this debt, the kinds of assurances I have given myself about retirement are not necessarily the conventional ones. I have no intention of not working.

I'm even considering shifting to teaching. I currently volunteer as a mentor to junior high and high school students, which qualifies me for a $5,000 education award from Americorps. I plan to put about half toward paying down my own debt and the other half I'll give to my granddaughter for her college.